MYSTAGOGY RESOURCE CENTER: On Jealousy (St. Anthimos of Chios)

Having entered the Christmas season, we ask those who find the work of the Mystagogy Resource Center beneficial to them to help us continue our work with a generous financial gift as you are able. As an incentive, we are offering the following booklet.

In 1909 the German philosopher Arthur Drews wrote a book called "The Myth of Christ", which New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman has called "arguably the most influential mythicist book ever produced," arguing that Jesus Christ never existed and was simply a myth influenced by more ancient myths. The reason this book was so influential was because Vladimir Lenin read it and was convinced that Jesus never existed, thus justifying his actions in promoting atheism and suppressing the Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union. Moreover, the ideologues of the Third Reich would go on to implement the views of Drews to create a new "Aryan religion," viewing Jesus as an Aryan figure fighting against Jewish materialism.

Due to the tremendous influence of this book in his time, George Florovsky viewed the arguments presented therein as very weak and easily refutable, which led him to write a refutation of this text which was published in Russian by the YMCA Press in Paris in 1929. This apologetic brochure titled "Did Christ Live? Historical Evidence of Christ" was one of the first texts of his published to promote his Neopatristic Synthesis, bringing the patristic heritage to modern historical and cultural conditions. With the revival of these views among some in our time, this text is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

Never before published in English, it is now available for anyone who donates at least $20 to the Mystagogy Resource Center upon request (please specify in your donation that you want the book). Thank you.

February 15, 2024

On Jealousy (St. Anthimos of Chios)

On Jealousy

By St. Anthimos of Chios

This passion can bring someone into great harm. Jealousy makes you abuse the other, criticize them, envy them, slander them, betray them. As a man grows, so does this passion. By no other means can it be eradicated except by supplication to God, by clear confession and contempt for this passion.

Even animals are jealous. But the animals as well children if they are jealous they do not feel it, but we who possess reason should we also possess such passions? Those who feel jealous never progress, we all have this evil, but some fight it and others mitigate it. When you fight it, it doesn't hurt you. This passion makes you to be envious, to hate your sibling, to be angry, to be full of malice. If one does not take care to eliminate it from themselves it will consume them.

Source: From the book Άγιου Ανθίμου Χίου, Διδαχές Πνευματικές – Άρτος Ζωής, published by the Monastery of the Panagia Voithia in Chios. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.